


Voltron: Legendary Disasters

by Night_Fracturer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Angst, Animal Traits, Blood and Injury, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Running Away, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 21:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30061923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_Fracturer/pseuds/Night_Fracturer
Summary: “He doesn’t see his life flash before his eyes like everyone says happens before you die. Instead, he sees only earth and fire. But strangely enough, it’s not as terrifying as he thought it would be.For just a moment, he feels something almost akin to peace.Then his world is jarred back into focus as a hand shoots out over the edge and grabs his wrist.”Or, a Galra soldier gets rescued by a strange Balmeran and this sets off a chain of events leading to the salvation of the universe.(Discontinued)





	1. A Galra’s Debt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‼️Caution! This work is DISCONTINUED‼️  
> Proceed at your own risk

Flames lick at Keir’s paws, his fur singed an ugly brown and his clothes completely scorched. His claws scrape uselessly against stone, grasping for some kind of ledge. His long, thin tail lashes furiously as it dangles over the edge of a gaping chasm.

Pebbles spill out and fall into the fiery pit below as he scrambles for purchase, slipping farther and farther down by the second. Keir snarls, tries one last time to heave himself up. His claws don’t catch and his heart leaps into his throat as he begins to fall to his death.

There’s a moment, just a fraction of a second, where the raging boom of fire and war goes completely silent. He hears his own startled gasp, the echo of sediment clashing with the cliff’s walls in slow motion, and the air rushing past him as if swimming through gentle water.

He doesn’t see his life flash before his eyes like everyone says happens before you die. Instead, he sees only earth and fire. But strangely enough, it’s not as terrifying as he thought it would be.

For just a moment, he feels something almost akin to peace.

Then his world is jarred back into focus as a hand shoots out over the edge and grabs his wrist.

The momentum carries him into the wall. He’s too shocked to soften the crash and his arm takes the brunt of the impact. He hears a sickening pop and stars explode in front of his eyes. Out of breath, he can only gurgle in pain, blood filling his mouth.

In his dazed state, he doesn’t notice the second hand that joins the first and begins to heave him up. As his head makes it over the edge, he remembers how to move and twists so his back paw catches on the ledge. Making it over the side, he rolls onto his side with a great sigh, going limp on the ground.

He’s alive. Somehow, he was lucky enough to survive what should have been his death. This was always the way he was meant to go. Keir is a Galra soldier. He never expected to live very long. He’s expendable, a tool to be used and then thrown away. It was simply the Galra way.

Something brushes against his injured arm. He doesn’t realize his eyes are closed until they fly open at the contact, a hiss slipping past his bloodied fangs. Glowing yellow eyes flicker back and forth, trying to make sense of the swirling world around him.

A figure swims in his vision, something with glowing yellow eyes. Keir tenses, fearing the possibility that another soldier saved him. Owing his life to another being, especially a soldier of the Galra Empire, could be another death sentence all over again.

As everything comes back into focus though, he realizes it’s not a Galra. Its skin is too grey and its arms are too bulky. It’s a Balmeran, he realizes belatedly.

It’s not surprising to find a Balmeran here, considering the raging inferno he’s on right now is a Balmera. It’s common to see faceless Galra guards shoving lines of Balmeran slaves down into the depths of the massive creature to mine crystals.

What is surprising is the fact that this Balmeran probably risked its life to save a pathetic Galra pup from the fires of the dying planet. The Balmerans are a passive, peaceful race, but Keir couldn’t imagine a single creature in the universe would willingly risk their own safety for a Galra.

But this one did. This one saw a Galra, the same race that had subjugated their own and destroyed their only home, and decided to take pity on him. Not only that, he realizes that the Balmeran is completely ignoring the chaos around them, paying attention to Keir and nothing else. It could be that the Balmeran is worried that Keir will attack the moment he looks away, but the strange expression on its face says something else.

The Balmeran reaches out a hand towards Keir’s injured right arm which is starting to pulse in waves of tingly, burning pain. He tenses, holding his breath on instinct. The Balmeran pauses, a new but still strange expression crossing their face, before letting their hand hover just over Keir’s shoulder.

A bright blue light almost like a mist drapes over him. The burning is replaced with a strange coolness like being dunked in water just slightly too cold. It spreads to his mind as well, making his thoughts fuzzy. He slumps with a sudden exhaustion.

Abruptly and painfully, his shoulder is popped back into its socket and the tingly burning is that much more intense. Keir yelps, gripping his shoulder with his left hand. He rolls onto his knees, the adrenaline helping him stand up before he stumbles into the nearest wall, teeth clenched and lungs heaving.

When he opens his eyes again, he glances over to see the Balmeran standing nearby, arms raised as if to reach out but not yet willing to touch. Good, Keir thinks irritably, growling lowly. The Balmeran blinks at him but otherwise shows no sign of noticing his anger.

“Why?” Keir asks simply. It’s like swallowing knives to speak, smoke swirling in his lungs. He chokes on a cough that tries to break out, but he forces it down.

The Balmeran lowers its hands slightly, shoulders sagging. Another strange expression appears. It’s frustrating not being able to decipher what someone is thinking.

“You needed help,” the Balmeran—a man, Keir realizes by the tone of voice—says as if it were the obvious choice to make, as if anyone would have done the same.

Keir snorts in disbelief. As if anyone would want to help a runt like him.

Before the Balmeran can say anything else, the ground beneath them rumbles, shaking so violently that Keir almost falls on his face. A high keen echoes through the tunnels, loud enough to make the Galra’s ears ring even flattened against his head. It’s the sound of the Balmera as it dies.

The flames grow taller, licking at his already singed fur. At this point, he should probably just give up. There’s no way Keir could make it to the surface before being cooked alive, and even if he did make it topside, the Galra had likely fled already, leaving no way to get off the planet anyway. There’s no way he survives this, so what’s the point in even trying?

The decision is made for him, however. The Balmeran firmly grasps Keir’s uninjured left hand and breaks into a run, dragging the scorched and coughing Galra along with him.

Keir at least has enough presence of mind to avoid tripping and making his death even more humiliating, but he doesn’t exactly run as fast as he probably could. What’s the point if he’s going to die anyway?

The Balmeran leads him through all kinds of twists and turns, so sure of his knowledge of the tunnels that he never hesitates to go down one passage or the other. As they run, Keir spots other Balmerans fleeing the growing fires as well, some luckier than others. Whenever he’s close enough to help, the Balmeran will do his best to guide others to the surface as well.

At some point, the natural tunnels turn into artificial mines and the Balmeran starts to lose his way. When they come to a small room diverging into three other passages, they come to a complete stop. He can tell that the Balmeran doesn’t know where to go from here.

Suddenly, a scent catches Keir’s attention. A spark of something similar to hope ignites in his chest, driving him to start running down the leftmost tunnel. The Balmeran, still gripping his hand, is dragged along as well.

They come to a much larger room. Long tables evenly spaced are spread across the place, plates and trays full of unfinished food lying abandoned. Not sparing the scene a glance, Keir dashes for the stairs leading up. The next floor overlooks the canteen, a cozy office space for generals and the like to eat away from the regular soldiers. In the back is a door.

Keir leads the Balmeran through the hallways and office rooms with ease, not realizing the weight of what he’s doing.

They burst into an underground hanger. Normally there would be a dozen or so ships here, but Keir is indescribably relieved to see just one left. It’s a battered old thing, covered in scratches and suspiciously tilting to the side, but it’s a ship nonetheless.

Keir skids to a halt inside the ship, not even noticing the Balmeran letting go of his hand as he slides into the pilot’s seat. He always excelled in pilot training, so he was confident he could fly even the old bucket they now sat in.

With the push of a few buttons, the ship stutters to life and Keir lets out a celebratory whoop. He eases the ship off the ground, carefully guiding it through the tunnel to the surface. The airlock shuts and the roaring of flames becomes a distant hum.

Orange-tinted sky gives way to an endless expanse of stars and Keir sighs in relief, slumping in the seat. He’s glad to be leaving that fireball behind.

Glancing behind him, Keir is abruptly reminded that he isn’t the only one in the ship. The Balmeran is there, large and imposing, staring out the back window at what was once his home. He doesn’t blink or so much as twitch as he watches the Balmera become consumed by fire.

Keir can’t imagine what must be going through his mind right now. The Galra has never had family or friends to speak of, raised as a soldier his entire life. He wouldn’t know the feeling of losing everything like that. To have your entire planet, everyone you’ve known your entire life go up in flames must be a special kind of agony.

Not knowing what to say, Keir stares out the window too. Red dances in his eyes.

He doesn’t mourn for them. He’s incapable of such emotions. Soldier training saw to that long ago. Galra are taught to show no mercy and feel no remorse.

Instead, he recalls his own war experiences. He’s no stranger to destruction. He’s seen many battles even for one so young compared to other soldiers, and he has the scars to prove that he fought and fought viciously. He’s come close to death before, but never before has he been rescued.

When a Galra is injured, they are left to either succumb to their wounds or push through it on their own. Those who are not strong enough to survive have no place in the Empire, after all. Galra don’t risk toppling over the edge of a cliff to save another. Only the most valuable of generals get the privilege of being rescued.

Keir should have died on that Balmera, but he survived, and now he has a runaway Balmeran on his hands.

How in the universe is he supposed to explain the Balmeran to the other Galra?

Just as he’s about to debate the pros and cons of pretending to be a hostage, the ship rumbles ominously, shaking both Galra and Balmeran out of their dazes.

Spinning around, Keir’s ears flatten back as he looks up to see a massive Galra battleship reeling them in. Dozens of other ships around them are also being towed, most in similar states of disrepair, some with scorch marks. They are the unfortunate remains of the Galra who almost didn’t make it out.

Keir realizes he doesn’t have much time to figure out a plan. A quick glance back at the Balmeran tells him that he is thinking the same.

There’s no way they would believe a hostage situation. Keir is an awful actor and a Balmeran would never do such a thing. Hiding is also out. The Balmeran is far too large to hide on such a small ship. Telling them that the Balmeran is a prisoner is far too suspicious. Any other Galra would’ve left their prisoners to die no matter how valuable they were.

Maybe they could pretend to be unconscious? It wouldn’t be too far out there to think that the Balmeran had jumped on the ship at the last minute and a blast had knocked them both out.

Keir wonders when simply killing the Balmeran became a non-option.

The ship shudders beneath them again, the battleship appearing much closer than before. Keir whirls around to face the Balmeran again.

“Play dead,” he says breathlessly, searching around the ship for a suitable place to pass out.

“What?” the Balmeran deadpans.

“We got hit by a blast of flames and both got knocked out.” He figures slumping halfway on the pilot’s seat would make it more believable and begins positioning the chair so he won’t be too uncomfortable.

He can practically hear the Balmeran’s dawning understanding.

“Make it look like you barely made it in before we lifted off. Keep your breathing measured and don’t move a muscle.”

Keir kneels down beside the chair, reaching across and arranging himself carefully to make it look good. “They’ll probably take you to a nearby cell. Don’t try escaping unless you get caught or you’re in immediate danger.”

He sees the Balmeran nod before laying himself out on the floor as convincingly as possible, Keir doing the same.

Now all they have to do is wait. 

Two Galra sentries find them. They’re surprised to find a Balmeran in the ship, but luckily they carry him off to the nearest cell just like Keir thought they would. As they get to work on that, a third sentry approaches Keir and tries to wake him.

A harsh shove to his injured shoulder makes him cry out. As he opens his eyes, he makes it seem like he’s disoriented and stumbles a bit for extra effect.

The sentry sneers at him and orders him to the infirmary. Relieved, Keir ducks out.

He honestly intends to go to the infirmary, but somehow he ends up heading to the cell block instead. He keeps his head down and acts like he knows what he’s doing as he passes by several Galra. Eventually, he finds the Balmeran.

He’s waiting in the middle of the cramped cell patiently, as if knowing that Keir was going to show up.

“Y’know, I never got your name,” the Balmeran starts as soon as his eyes land on the Galra.

“I’m Keir,” he says, a bit startled.

The Balmeran smiles, all warmth and acceptance. “I’m Rafe.”

It’s such a simple thing, exchanging names, but the way Rafe smiles at him, as if Keir is friend and family…

Keir is certain that he’ll be seeing a lot more of this odd Balmeran soon.


	2. Escape

Alarms blare throughout the huge Galra battleship, red lights flashing in its endless hallways. Turning a corner in a dead sprint, pale and sweating, is Keir. His tail lashes out behind him, claws skidding on smooth floors. Behind him and holding onto the Galra’s hand with a grip strong enough to cut off circulation is Rafe, running like his life depends on it (and it does). Even farther behind them is a squadron of Galra soldiers, chaotically shooting their blasters ahead and hoping for one to hit. 

Skidding around another corner, they finally come to the hanger. Dozens of ships neatly arranged in rows fill the large room. All they have to do is snag one and take off. 

Unfortunately, the hanger is also filled with more Galra soldiers. They’re caught slightly unprepared, not expecting the sudden intrusion despite the blaring alarms. Keir doesn’t stop running. 

They make it most of the way to the nearest ship before they finally get hit. 

Keir stumbles. The momentum sends him tumbling forward and sliding a few feet before coming to a grinding halt, smoke rising from his back. A groan slips past his lips. 

Rafe hesitates, wanting to protect his new friend, but he can’t pass up the opportunity. He keeps running for the ship. 

A shot finds its way to his chest, making him slow but not stop. Two more hit his back, and another to his leg. 

One particularly brave Galra tries to stand in his way, aiming directly for his head. Rafe rams into them full force, pushing them up and clear over his head.

Finally, he makes it to the ship. He doesn’t know much about how to fly one of these things, but he knows the basics well enough. 

The ship rises into the air, shaking and wobbling back and forth. The Galra expect it to head for the particle barrier separating the inside of the battleship from the void of space. Instead, it turns around, blasters aimed right at the crowd of soldiers. 

Some catch on and try to make a break for it. Before they can get very far, the ship fires. 

The soldiers are thrown in every direction, some simply smoking and others blasted to pieces instantly. Those not caught in the blast radius scatter, but Rafe fires again and again and again until there are no living Galra left in the hanger. Most had escaped, but those that hadn’t were left in singed pieces littered all over the place. 

Rafe lands the ship as carefully as he can and hops out. Kneeling beside the Galra he’s come to know as a friend, he lifts the unconscious Keir up in his arms easily and carries him to the ship quickly but gently. He sets the Galra down against the wall and lifts off again. 

Rafe has no idea where he’s going or how far they’ll make it, but he finds some comfort in the young Galra resting near him. They likely have a long journey ahead. 

Keir wakes with a groan. His head aches, a familiar feeling from non-stop training on top of dehydration and malnutrition. All of the Galra soldiers know the feeling all too well. This time, however, is different. His head is throbbing, but his back also hurts, and he struggles to remember why. 

He hears shuffling and blearily opens his eyes to see Rafe kneeling beside him. Great. If he didn’t owe the Balmeran a life debt before, he definitely does now. 

Keir leverages himself up on a wobbly arm, grinding his teeth to keep from whimpering. The Balmeran hovers near him, a hand outstretched but not touching. He’s thankful for that small mercy at least. 

Once Keir is upright, he lets out a sigh and looks around. They’re in the ship, a small Galra fighter that’s clearly only meant for one person. He can’t see out the window from his position behind the seat, but he assumes they made it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the abrupt ending, this is all I wrote. Like I said, this work is discontinued and although I still really like this concept and have other characters I want to introduce, I don’t have the motivation to continue it.   
> 💜


End file.
